


strawberries and cream.

by spncereid



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Matthew Gray Gubler - Fandom, Spencer Reid - Fandom
Genre: Happy Spencer Reid, Other, Spencer Reid - Freeform, criminal minds - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:46:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25726891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spncereid/pseuds/spncereid
Summary: you're on your first date with doctor spencer reid, having the time of your life. the night only gets better when he lets you into his secret world within the depths of a local ice cream shop. you end the night on a rooftop, surrounded by swirling music and dancing lights. that first kiss is even better than the ice cream.
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Reader
Kudos: 18





	strawberries and cream.

Bells jingled through the artificial air as you entered the crisply decorated shop, holding the door open behind you for your date to follow. His hand brushed yours as he reached up for the door and soft smiles were exchanged. It had been three hours since you had met him in front of the restaurant you had both heard rave reviews about (you from your roommate and him from his team). You’d laughed in all the right places as he told tales of his team’s antics and he’d listened intently as you recounted stories of your days at the local elementary school. When he couldn’t help but let statistics roll off his tongue, you took them in, savoring each of them in your mind and wondering what kind of once in a million person you were sitting across from. You had left the restaurant hand in hand, laughing like teenagers, in search of something to satisfy both of your sweet tooths. He’d recommended a small, family-owned ice cream shop not far from the restaurant and the trek began. When it began, however, you knew it meant the night would be coming to a close soon.  
You and Spencer took steps into the shop, fully aware that it was ten minutes to closing time. You expected the frosted display case, the silver tubs full of color and flavor, the décor straight from a cheesy 80s movie, and you might have even expected the grey-haired man standing behind the counter… but you did not expect your date walking up to him and the shop owner greeting him the way he might have greeted his own son.  
“Spencer!” the old man’s voice rang out over the deserted shop, jolly and light. It made you smile before you even realized you were. Spencer approached the man, a wide smile on his face, and they exchanged comfortable conversation. The owner asked about Spencer’s work and how his mom was doing as you stood back and surveyed the scene unfolding before you. Clearly, this man was someone Spencer trusted because it took him a while to open up about his mother to anyone.  
You had zoned out for a moment, examining the way Spencer smiled and how his eyes gleamed under the florescent lights, that you almost didn’t hear him call out for you. Your eyes caught his and scanned down to see his hand outstretched towards you. Walking forward to join him, he pulled you close and introduced you to the shop owner. His name, as it turned out, was Dennis. Spencer had been coming to the shop since he had moved to D.C. and he’d quickly befriended Dennis after they’d had a lively debate on a popular theory in physics. You laughed despite yourself because it was similar to how you’d met Spencer, except yours had occurred in the coffee shop near the Quantico. You’d been working there over the summer to supplement your substitute teacher income and you’d quickly noticed the peculiar young man coming in every morning. There was always an FBI badge on him and he was always fidgeting – tapping fingers against the counter or his coffee cup or his leg bouncing as he pulled out a book to keep him occupied as he waited in line. You’d laughed at his choice of reading material one day and you were done for when he looked up at you with that crooked smile. You’d spent your ten-minute break debating the plot and literary devices of a long-forgotten Faulkner novel and you’d hated having to watch him leave. Ever since then, you would watch the clock every day and wait for those dazzling moments you got to revel in his mind.  
Spencer’s voice pulled you back to reality, once again, and Dennis gave you a knowing smile. You looked up at Spencer’s smile and felt more at home in his gaze than you ever had in this city. He gestured to the array of ice cream in front of you and you suddenly felt incredibly overwhelmed.  
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever felt more indecisive than I do at this moment.” You said, eyes scanning your vast options. Bubblegum, mint chocolate chip, strawberry, and their friends stared back at you.  
Spencer laughed and that’s when Dennis spoke.  
“Don’t worry, the shop is closed and you guys will be my last customers. Take all the time you need, I’ll be right over here.”  
Dennis walked over to his register, pulling out receipts for the day, and you moved further down the case. As soon as you had separated from Spencer, you regretted it, missing the warmth of his body protecting you from the persistent air conditioning. A few minutes later, he joined you on the other end of the display case.  
You took a breath, “I don’t know how to choose.”  
“Who said you have to? Dennis specializes in mixing flavors, if you want.” Spencer told you and you turned to him with a mischievous smile.  
Laughing, you playfully hit him on the chest, “You were hiding some very important information, Reid.”  
“Maybe I just wanted to see how cute your concentration face is.” He said, reaching down to intertwine your fingers with his again.  
A smirk came to your lips before you could fight it, “And? What’s the verdict?”  
At this, Spencer looked away, quiet contemplation on his features. You watched him for a few moments – you knew this look. He had used it on many occasions during your literature debates when he needed to consider a point of view before answering. It began with the pursing of his lips, forming into a small pout. Eyebrows knit in concentration and the scrunch of his nose. That scrunch killed you because it spoke to a piece of innocence left to this hero crime-fighter who had seen more in his lifetime than most could imagine. You had spent too many nights wondering what it would be like to kiss that small, button nose.  
When he looked back down at you, you saw the playfulness in his eyes. He didn’t have time to give you your answer, however, before Dennis walked back over.  
“Okay, kids, before I finalize my drawer… what’ll it be?”  
Spencer answered first, “I’ll just get the coffee, two scoops in a cup, but give me extra chocolate chips on top this time.” Dennis nodded as he spoke, moving swiftly over the different areas of the shop to fulfill his order. Once Spencer had his ice cream in hand, he quickly took a large spoonful and popped it in his mouth. He looked down at you with the spoon sticking out and you laughed from the sheer childlike wonder he’d developed with ice cream in his hand. As he continued to dig into his treat, Dennis turned to you.  
“Hm… I think I’m going to take you up on your specialty and see if you can give me a mixture of the strawberry and vanilla chocolate chip in a cup. Oh, and can you top that with blueberries?”  
Dennis nodded and, once you had your cup in hand, you did the same as Spencer had done and took a big first taste. As soon as the flavors collided on your tongue, you knew you’d made the right choice. Something about this ice cream felt magical, like you were right back to hot summer days on a pier in your hometown. You understood immediately why this had become such a figment in Spencer’s life.  
You watched as Spencer reached for his wallet and Dennis stopped him, telling him it was on him this time and to enjoy the rest of the night. Next, you felt Spencer grab your free hand and you looked at him as he pulled you through a back hallway of the shop, past what looked like the inventory in a frozen room. He dropped your hand as you followed him up a rickety set of stairs, up to a seemingly locked door. You had a question on the tip of your tongue, but it fell away when you saw Spencer reach into his front pocket to produce a key. He pushed the door open once unlocked and you stepped out into the dark night. It didn’t take long to realize you were on the roof of the store, staring out onto a sea of city lights. The rooftop gave you a clear view of the Capitol Building and all of the businesspeople who bustled about. On the other end of the spectrum, you heard a group of women laughing as they left a club. The city seemed like it had been lit by a rosy, romantic glow… or maybe just the sunset. You took a step back to glance at your surroundings on the rooftop and noticed the strings of fairy lights the ran over the little section that had its own roofing. In another era, this could have been an extension of the shop.  
“Wow” was the only word you could find and it came out in a breath as you walked over near the ledge. You heard a chuckle as Spencer joined you and watched you watching the city below you. You heard gaggles of laughter from below and stared as the lights danced in your vision. Spencer turned away from the scene to take a seat in a chair near a rusted metal table and you followed, taking the place across from him. You both sat like that, next to each other and in awe of the city too busy to notice either of you eating ice cream on a rooftop on a purely dreamy night. After a few minutes, you noticed a smile creep onto Spencer’s face in the dim neon lights. You locked eyes with him and the smile got wider. It was infectious and, before you knew it, you were smiling back at him. All the ice cream gone and the cups empty, you had nothing to do except marvel in the night and where it had brought you. You’d wound up in a scene straight out of a romantic-comedy and the man who sat across from you may have had messy hair and the permanent look of sleeplessness, but he still felt like your leading man. A sigh of contentment left your lips and you leaned back in your chair.  
Spencer had another idea, though, and stood up, reaching for your hand to pull you up with him. He brought you back over to the ledge and motioned for you to be quiet. When you gave him a quizzical look, he gestured down towards the street. You felt everything drop away in that moment as you heard the slow violin music rising up to meet you. The melodic sound washed over you and that’s when you knew nothing would ever top this night. You glanced over at Spencer to find him watching you, his eyes crinkling as his smile reached them.  
“What?” you asked, coughing out a laugh as his grin only got bigger the longer he stared.  
“Nothing.” He replied as he took a step closer to you. “I just… you look amazing in this light.”  
Two steps closer and you became very aware of how close your bodies were. You could practically smell the cologne he must have put on for the occasion and see the effect the humidity had had on his hair, creating small curls in random places. One step closer and you lost yourself in his brown eyes, golden flecks reflecting the twinkling neon lights surrounding you. You found galaxies in the endless depths of his eyes, desperately wishing you could stop time to explore them forever. When he reached a hand up to touch your cheek, you let out a breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding. He was soft and gentle and you had the idea that maybe he’d thought about this moment as much as you had. His eyes met yours and you found a question in them. This time, you moved first. When your lips met his, it was a collision, an explosion. Any questions he could’ve had were erased in an instant as you both sank into each other. It was a moment that had been dancing on the edge of your visions for months and it was finally here. He pushed his lips harder against yours, a pressure that you gave into quickly, letting your emotions control your body from here on out. Spencer’s hand moved from your cheek back into your hair and the feel of it caused a shiver to run down your spine. You felt him smiling into the kiss and brought your arms up to circle around his neck as his free arm went around your waist to tug you closer. You broke apart a moment later only for air, but you wanted to dive back in almost immediately.  
A cool wind blew over you both, still wrapped in each other’s embrace. Spencer pulled you into a warm hug, resting his chin on your head as you took in the sound of his heartbeat. He spoke first, words following a chuckle that rose out of his throat.  
“You taste like strawberries.”  
You stepped away just to look up at him, “Is that a bad thing?”  
He smirked as he pulled you in for another kiss, mumbling the words “not at all” against your lips.


End file.
